As Brady wears 12 as well it is safe to say QB12 will win :)

719 passes is quite a few. Too many, IMO. But that's what Tampa has been all season, except now they've lost some of their main pieces of that passing attack.

I don't know why any DC would want this job, since so many fans will start screaming the first time an opponent gets a first down.. But seriously, none of those guys. Zimmer has the Purple Taint and there's no cure for that. Don't let it in the building. Fangio is yesterday, and Brian Flores is the name of a former student who committed a double murder.

Whoever comes in could have the most talented defense we've had since Lombardi Era, seriously. The guys that we have under contract for next year are pretty good players. Clark, Lowry, Keke, Slaton, Gary, Smith, Barnes, Stokes, Amos, Savage. Most of those guys are bargains. And we can resign Alexander and Douglas and even Campbell. We could add some help in the draft. That would be a pretty good group, IMO.

Flores, Fangio and Zimmer would all be an upgrade over Barry.

I wouldn't mind AR losing the MVP to Brady, just to give AR a bigger chip on his shoulder.

I think MLF keeps Barry almost no matter what, unless like you said, the defense completely falls apart because Barry stubbornly insists on a Pettine-like approach.

Special teams is another story. You would think a change is in order, both with the players and the approach. It's more than just the coach here. We need to find the right players instead of trying to hammer square pegs in round holes. There might be a new kicker as well. So it's anybody's guess what they'll do here, but whatever it is, it's definitely time to look outside of the home confines and bring in a fresh set of ideas.

I vote that we win the Lombardi first, and daydream about next year's defensive coordinator after that.

"If the voters stick to judging by what happened on the field, QB12 is clearly the better choice. "

Don't you mean "AR12 is clearly the better choice"? Both QBs sport the number 12.

So many NFL executives here , just amazing.

On "paper", all three of these DCs look like a better choice than Barry. And while I was skeptical of Barry initially, it seemed as though he took his passive criticism to heart and started to play more aggressive schemes in mid season. Right now, he is regressing again to Passive Pettine.

This is a team with arguably the best QB in the league. To play passive, prevent style football that minimizes the number of possessions the offense gets does not make any sense. Pressure teams. If they score the odd time from excess pressure, so be it.

I think the playoffs should tell us if Barry is truly a good DC for this team. If he plays passive and the defense is porous, then its time to think about another DC in the offseason. The same shouldn't apply to Special Teams. They badly need a new coordinator. The numbers don't lie...

My thoughts are in no particular order of importance...or even related, but if the Packers win the Lombardi, Barry is returning. 2) Is not the "Ram" defense the Fangio defense? I thought MLF brought in Barry to replicate what other DC's had done with the Rams and what those DC's brought to the table were variations of the Fangio defense. That said, I've envisioned Fangio as our DC for a long time. I wanted him when he left the 49ers. 3) I would review the staffs of all the teams who were fired and compare/contrast those ST coordinators with Drayton. Sign Judge if you can get him... or the best of the rest. Any would be an upgrade. 4) An MVP award is a nice honor. When was the last time that the MVP won the SB? It has been a while. I would happily sacrifice the MVP to the football gods for the Lombardi!

LaFluer goes big on character and fit. Zimmer and Fangio are experienced, but not sure they would be compatible with LaFluer , espcially Zimmer who is a bit crusty and gruff. Lots of other variables to consider that readers have already mentioned.

Hire ST coach Joe Judge immediately before he is gobbled up. If we don't win the SB due to poor defensive play, go after Fangio, Flores or Zimmer.

No on those DC candidates for all of the previously stated reasons. I think Zimmer needs a good long rest, and talk coming out of Minnesota from players reflects a toxic culture with him at the helm. The man is fried.

MVP? Sweet baby jeebus, I have no clue how best to make that call. MVP Voters, with the exception of Hub What's-his-name, are to focus on what happened on the field. I don't pay much attention to individual stats, but when Ken mentioned the Brady vs Rodgers on-paper battle I slid on over to NFL.com to find QB stats. Go take a look. You'll see that with the exception of QB Rating (where AR hammers everyone), Kirk Freaking-It's-Not-My-Job-To-Be-A-Leader Cousins has stats most similar to those of Aaron Rodgers. Barf. It's so much more than stats.

Marpag nailed it. Let's go win it all first.

How far the Packers get in the playoffs now rests on the shoulders of Joe Barry.
We are getting everyone back on defense for this run and I pray he's up to this task.
No excuses, the Lombardi trophy is there for the taking .

There are great X’s and O’s coaches out there. Yet Matt likes his coaches to be relatable. He likes the chemistry that we have. The only coach that I expect to be replaced is the one who moves on.

ST has been a problem across two HC now. This is a long standing issue that Gute must address. Defense in the NFL is all reactive. With the rule changes in pass interference and protection, there is very little chance to be aggressive at the LOS. (Why do you think Rodgers and Brady are still playing) Every team is playing some kind of Pettine scheme in their defensive systems. The league rules and game officials dictate it. All for 'better' (read high scoring) football. I'm tired of the bitching about this defense. Want better defensive football, then call Rodger Goodell. (Good luck with that) Mike Pettine is highly respected as a first rate DC. His ability to shut down teams in the second half with adjustments is well known and respected inside the NFL. Joe Berry has done a heck of job walking into a messy situation not of his making. Barry's problem is his inability to make in-game adjustments, that's what has kept him from being in the first rank of DC. (A issue that the current HC of the Packers share) But, Joe Barry has had this defense ready to play most of the season, and in a 17 game season, that is impressive. But he is a clear step down from his predecessor, and like ST, GM Gute will have to address the situation.

duplicate

DC Topic - Isn't the new fad style of Defense come from Vic fangio coaching origins? Its what is at the core of today's hottest defenses. Heck just look at Denver and what they excelled at vs what cost him the job. IMO it comes down to what MLF is comfortable with. His guys or older established DC's that have been Head coaches. VF is a steal if the research/homework/due diligence on him all pans out.

I'm not down on JBarry but I didn't see any big scheme changes as much as strategy changes. MP played behind an explosive scoring offense and was tasked with running out the clock, while JB needed to have a more aggressive Defensive strategy to just stay in games. The Packers defense down the stretch last year was good enough to win a superbowl less Kevin King.

The argument is so much JB is bad as much as its how much better are they with VF, MF or DZ. If the Packers and AR part defense is going to be that much more important and the 35MUSD in savings between QBs should supply any additional talent needed.

(resign Campbell and AMos find a top flight slot/box safety/corner hybrid to cover TE. RBs and wr.)

When it comes to MVP if between Brady and AR an argument can be made that Brady threw for substantially more yards and TD because they depended on him more or should I say the "pass". AR had a more balanced Offense with 2 1000yd total offense RB.

The vast majority of AR TDFs were goal line / inside the 5 yard line. not explosive plays like Brady. (IT is a pet peeve of mine how AR always chooses to pass instead of run inside the 5, especially on early downs. Seemed to change a bit toward the end.)

Both teams go nowhere w/o the QB, both are deserving.